Monday 23rd April: a succinct message pings into my Outlook at work 5 minutes after I have left cake out for my department. It is from one of my contemporaries. ‘Sarah there is a queue for your cake’.

Let me explain the origins of this unusual cake. 3 weeks ago, after a tense month of waiting, I gained approval to become a ‘Daring Baker’. The somewhat clandestine ‘Daring Bakers’ community comprises baking bloggers who every month are set a baking challenge which they all blog about after a certain date.

And there are rules. Blog about or reveal the challenge early and you’re out; miss more than 4 challenges a year and you’re escorted out of the building. What can I say, I like to live life on the edge.

This month’s challenge- Armenian Nutmeg Cake- was set on 1st April. I had never heard of Armenian Nutmeg Cake before but I suppose that’s the point of the Daring Bakers. I was pleased that my first challenge was a straightforward one- we will see what next month brings. This cake turned out better than expected and apparently went down a treat. It’s unusual, moreish and goes very well with a coffee or two. My only quibble is with the sugar content- my eyes watered when I read that I had to add 400g of brown sugar.

The Monday morning email kept me amused all week. I was told by someone else that I might never be allowed to move department- I laughed uneasily. I’m not sure they will still be thanking me four months down the line.

Armenian Nutmeg Cake (adapted from a recipe by Jason at DailyCandor.com)